folktale

Definition of folktalenext
as in tale
a traditional description of imaginary events circulated orally among a people West African folktales that continue to be passed from generation to generation through storytelling

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of folktale To keep her on track, Hero tells Cherry stories each night, loosely adapting the framework of the classic collection of Arabic folktales One Thousand and One Nights. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2025 Atmospheric principles and folktales, spirit and substance, opposites and inversions. Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025 The story centered on a young Palestinian man living in Jerusalem who must save his family after a Ghouleh, a female demon from his grandmother’s folktales, arrive in his town and threatens his home. Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025 Oliver Park’s directorial debut is based on the Jewish folktale about the female demon Abyzou, which (believe it or not) happens to be perfect fodder for a horror film set at a Hasidic funeral home in Brooklyn. Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for folktale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktale
Noun
  • The tale involves a man who attempts to murder his wife while the two are out hiking on a mountain.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Yet, the saga remains a cautionary tale for Democrats about what can happen if too many of their candidates bunch up on the ballot under the top-two election system.
    David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Suarez, the 39-year-old Uruguayan legend, provided a perfect pass to 19-year-old Santi Morales, who made a nice finish to give Miami the lead at the 16-minute mark.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
  • No one was seriously injured in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day that WWE legend Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.
    Dallas Morning News, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • This chance encounter between a group of young Brits and Americans led to three transatlantic love stories and three weddings.
    Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 28 Feb. 2026
  • This story has been updated to add new information.
    Andrea Shalal, USA Today, 28 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • If Çatak uses the accumulation of mundane details to portray the pressures on ordinary people, Alper uses the heightened language of myth and allegory to tell a story that nevertheless feels immediately recognizable as belonging to the present.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
  • With the myth of perfectly symmetrical eyebrows dispelled, let’s get into it.
    Lottie Winter, Glamour, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • But there are two categories of nonprofessionals whose place in the history of the art strikes me as particularly exalted.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
  • One team was coming off its highest high, the other off its lowest low, but recent history matters little whenever UCLA and USC meet.
    Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • While Kennedy gave her his number, a real romance did not begin until spring 1994.
    Shelby Wax, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2026
  • True love lies in the middle — neither one creates the circumstances for romance to bloom.
    Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 27 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Folktale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktale. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.

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